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PollWatch: Cash-strapped Canberrans would move to NSW towns and telecommute

Is remote working from satellite towns the future for Canberrans struggling to afford property here?

Almost a third of Canberrans who responded to our poll on the issue earlier this month say they would consider moving to a neighbouring town such as Goulburn, Cooma or Yass to break into the property market, with 31% (158 votes) of the 513 respondents saying they would do so only if they could arrange to work remotely given the high petrol costs involved with commuting.

Perhaps they were inspired by Maryanne Mussared’s extensive research on tiny houses and living in regional centres.

Some 10% (49) of those polled had already made the move, while 19% (99) said they would consider it.

A quarter of participants (25%, 128) preferred living closer to the action, while 17% (86 votes) would be unable to do so given their family commitments.

Meanwhile, Greg Cornwell argues too much of Canberra’s upcoming residential development is focused on the centre of town, where property prices are high, preventing aspiring buyers from entering the market. We asked you whether you agreed, and of the 476 voters in the poll, 43% (204) felt it made sense to build units centrally given that was where demand was likely to be, 30% (145) felt there was in fact plenty of development going on further afield, and 27% (127 votes) agreed with Greg citing too much urban infill and a high cost attached to apartments that are centrally located.

Speaking of development centrally, there are moves afoot to spruce up Haig Park. Paul Costigan outlined some of his suggestions and urged Canberrans to respond to the ACT Government on the issue during its consultation period. We asked you what you’d like to see in the park, with the clear favourites among the 507 who voted being park benches, picnic tables and a BBQ (75%, 381 votes), a bicycle track and modern playground for children (52%, 262 votes) and more lighting, better visibility from the street and security cameras to make the park safer (44%, 224 votes). More than a third of you (34%, 170 votes) were also keen to see regular events such as markets and outdoor yoga held in Haig Park. Hardly any of you (2%, 12 votes) liked our suggestion for enlarge aviary filled with native birds.

More than a third (34%, 173) felt there was already sufficient regular in-class assessment and alternative methods should be sought to address issues, but a clear majority (66%, 336) disagreed, believing more testing would help teachers assess where to focus their efforts.

One of the hottest (oops, pun unintended) issues of the month so far has been the scheduling originally of the W-League semi-final between Canberra United and Melbourne City FC as a 2pm curtain-raiser to an A-League round game, meaning the women’s match would be played in the heat of the day when temperatures in the high 30s were forecast, and that the team would be unable to play at its usual home ground.

More than a third (34%, 93) of the 274 participants in our poll on the matter were pleased that Canberrans would be able to watch two elite matches in one afternoon, but 39% (108) felt the match should have been held at United’s home ground, McKellar Park, to ensure a real home ground advantage.

The match was eventually moved till after the men’s game ensuring the players were not affected by the heat or playing in a curtain raiser.